Door closer



Sept. 21 1926.

J. T. HILL DOOR CLOSER Filed April 9. 1923 INVE & da/m 7." BY 1 7 Z ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES A I recess-i aT ENrorFica.

JOHN T. HILL, OFBRRKELRY, CALIFORNIA, AssIsNoR '10 AUTOMAT C Loon-AND CLOSER COMPANY, OF AKLA D, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION or. FLORIDA.

DOO CLOSER.

Application filed April 9,

In such refrigerators it is important that the doors be closed rapidly and completely, a few seconds delay in so doing lnvolves a loss of cold air from within, by interchange with the warmer air from without, with con sequent injury to the contents of the refrigerator by moisture, due to the condensation of the admitted warm air, causing resultant mold and other germ action.

Refrigerators of the above class are necessarily air-tight, hence, when a door is rapidly closed. the air within the refrigerator is compressed by the door on nearing itsclosed position, which compressed air tends to cause a rebound'of the door and permitting it to remain open a crack, or to allow it to complete its closing very slowly; in either case resultant loss or damage exists as above stated. Hence, a closing devicemust have such strength that it will overcome the air compression noted and effect a rapid and complete closing of the door.

It is the chief object of the present inven tion, to produce a door closer that will fulfill the above requirements and overcome the objections named.

Other objects and the features of construction, will appear in the subjoined description of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view, showing a portion of a refrigerator door and its jamb and the track member in section, and the closer in position with part of the same broken away to show the spring.

Figure 2 is a view from the front of a refrigerator door and with the closing apparatus applied, all the parts being in elevation.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the pintle mem ber of the closer.

Figure 4 is a top View of the bearing member of the closer supporting the pintle member.

Figure 5 is a top View of the spring shown on a larger scale than the other figures.

Referring to the drawing and the figures thereof :A refrigerator door 1 is hinged to its j amb 2 in any ordinary manner as by the hinge 3. Mounted on the jamb 2 is the bearing member, which, in the present instance 1922.; Serial No. 630,753.

is of sheet metal, formed with a'base't and two wings 5 bent up therefrom at approximately right-angles, to form bearing stand-' ards. The base is secured to jamb by lag screws '6. Thewings or standards 5, are preferablyof semi-circular shape, so that the blank from which they are bent may be of a near circular I shape. The two wings are each perforated with a round hole 7 in register with each other, and which holes serve as a bearlng for a p ntle 8 (Fig. 3), whose function will be presently described.

9 1s a coiled spring of flat steel and has'its inner end formed into a square socket 1O,-.

and its outer end extended in a straight portion 11. The spring is of a size tofit or be housed within the spac'e'between the wings 5,

with the straight portion 11 securedupon the base 4,-and the axis of'the square hole10 in register with that of the holes 7 in the wings.

WVhen the parts are in this position the pintle 8 may beinserted through the holes of the wings and engage the socket 10. The- "adapted to fit over the square end 12 of the pin and engage the same, thereby connecting it with the spring 9. The other'end of the arm is forked and supports a ball-bearing roller 14. This roller travels over a i11i0{:

15 secured to the door, as the door swings open or shut. The track is of channel form, thus permitting travel of the roller longitudinally but preventing lateral displace:

ment thereof.

In operation, when the door is swung open, the arm swings outward and winds or coils the spring, which, through its resiliency and reaction, immediately closes the door as soon as the latter is released. A greater or less tension of the spring may be obtained by withdrawing the arm 13 by hand from its track, and inserting a rod or other instrument into oneyof the holes 16 near the lower end of the pintle member. The rod may then be allowed to bear against the ja-mb to prevent the turning of the pintle, and the arm removed and replaced 90 degrees in one direction or the other as the case may be.

Disengagement of the instrument from thepintle, allows the arm to return to its normal position and the roller to retrack.

The foregoing apparatus constitutes a very simple and ei'iicient door closer. There are only four essential parts, to wit :the base or hearing member, the spring member, the pintle member, and the arm member, and to the latter is added two contributing parts, to wit :the track member and the roller member. These few parts are all of extreme simple construction and not liable to get out or order, are etlicient in opera tion and cheap to manufacture.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertairs, and while I have described the principle o1 operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired, as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is the following:

In a door closer, a door engaging arm having atone end a roller, a track for the door overwhich said roller may travel, the opposite end of said arm provided with an opening, a pintle for mounting the arm through said opening, a bracket comprising a single sheet of metal having bent up outstanding andspaced-apart bearing flanges, openings in said flanges to receive said pintle, a flat spring wound around said pintle between said flanges with its inner end attached to the pintle to turn therewith, said bracket having a base provided with openings for mounting the same to a door jamb, the outer end oi the spring also having an opening and adapted to be anchored fiat against the base by the means for mounting the base to the door jamb, said pintle having a lower extension projecting through one of the flanges on the bracket and bored to permit the insertion oi a spring-retaining member therethrough when adjusting the tension of said spring.

In testimony whereof I amx my signature.

JOHN T. HILL. 

